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Alcohol lowers diabetes risk

27 May, 2010

Healthy adults who drink a small amount of wine each day are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who abstain completely, research has suggested.

A 10-year study carried out by the National Institute for Public Health and Environment and other Dutch research centres found that people who consumed one or two glasses but met three out of four conditions of a healthy lifestyle were 40% less likely to develop the form of diabetes than non-drinkers.

The investigation defined the the four categories of health as obesity prevention, adequate exercise, not smoking and a balanced diet.

TNO, the scientific research group which helped carry out the analysis, said: “The results of the investigation show that moderate alcohol consumption can play a part in a health lifestyle to help reduce the risk of developing diabetes type 2.”

Around 180 million adults worldwide suffer from the condition, which occurs mainly in people over 40 years old. It can lead to cardiovascular diseases, stroke, blindness, amputations and kidney failure if not controlled.

More than 35,000 adults were polled for the study.

Readers' comments
(1)

Very interesting and useful if you wish to use alcohol. However Red Grapes is even better. Antioxidants in fresh grapes, known as polyphenols, are responsible for preventing the accumulation of oxidized cholesterol (this was proven in a study that was published in the Journal of Nutrition).

Resveratrol, a polyphenol contained by grapes, protects against arterial wall damage. Another interesting nutrient contained by grapes is pterostilbene. Researchers discovered that this compound can reduce cholesterol and triglycerides by affecting enzymes responsible with the regulation of fat level in our blood.

Other interesting compounds are saponins, located in grapes skin. These substances bind with cholesterol, preventing in this way its absorption into the body. Also, saponins seem to be able to block inflammations.

And this is not all… By drinking grapes juice we accumulate another antioxidant called alpha-tocopherol, a substance that increases blood antioxidant activity by 50%.

Referring to the selection of grapes, it seems that red grapes are the healthiest and best to eat in order to prevent heart diseases.